SEATTLE – “I mean, have you seen the poster?” asks Judith Chandler, events coordinator for Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park, Wash. The poster is the same photo (sans plunger) featured on the cover of the latest in a wave of home-improvement books. Titled “Ty’s Tricks,” this one is written by a guy his publisher describes as a “home-improvement heartthrob.” He’s Ty Pennington, star carpenter of the wildly popular decorating/reality/conflict show “Trading Spaces” that airs weekly on The Learning Channel.
A number of new books reprise parts of the show, including “Trading Spaces Color!” and “Paige by Paige: A Year of Trading Spaces,” authored by the show’s perky host, Paige Davis. Pennington’s $19.95 book, however, is different. Instead of being based on the show, it’s based on the $10,000 cosmetic remodel he gave his Atlanta house. (He now lives in Los Angeles.) Published by Hyperion, the book’s subtext is, “home repair secrets plus cheap and easy projects to transform any room.

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